Tobacco is a plant species that exhibits exceptionally strong apical dominance. Molecular signals from the shoot apical meristem (SAM) mediate a hormonal signal that effectively inhibits axillary bud growth. Upon removal of the SAM (also known as “topping”), physiological and molecular changes occur, enabling the growth of new shoots (or “suckers”) from axillary meristems (buds). Sucker growth results in loss of yield and leaf quality. Suckers have been controlled by manual removal and through the application of chemicals. Maleic hydrazide and flumetralin are routinely used on topped plants to inhibit axillary bud growth (“suckering”). However, labor and chemical agents to control suckers are very expensive. Control of suckering in tobacco through conventional breeding, mutation breeding, and transgenic approaches have been a major objective for several decades but, to date, successful inhibition or elimination of suckering has not been achieved through these approaches. Therefore, development of tobacco traits with limited or no suckering would result in a reduction of the use of chemical agents and would reduce costs and labor associated with tobacco production.